Thoughts
by Melee
Summary: Rowen's bored, slightly annoyed, rambling, personal notes on people. People, i.e. our thoughtfully color coded ronins with reference to one 21-yr-old 'babe'. **Complete**


Character Notes for my writing.  
Stupid, but readable.   
And yes, I do happen to like Kento.  
No familiarity with anything at all is required.  
Sincerely yours,   
Melee  
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Thoughts.  
i.e., Rowen with nothing in particular to do.  
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I think far too much, but I feel I'm entitled.   
  
I'm not done with high school, and all ready I've all but moved away from home. I'm seventeen and a veteran of a brutal war. I'm a macho, worried about my manliness idiot teenage male, and I can tell anyone without blinking an eye that I love four guys more than life itself.   
  
People do look at me funny sometimes, but it's probably the hair more than anything else.  
  
Oh yeah, and I'm living with a 21 year-old babe, so suck on that, asshole.   
  
Well, sort of. It's a home away from home I guess. We migrate there on weekends, my fellow veterans and I.   
  
Like me, they face that eternal struggle to be misunderstood. It's funny, to watch them and to still be unable to grasp that there could be four people in the world that I know so much about.  
  
Man, so much love flying around and not a bit of sex. Sigh. I am a hormonal adolescent so yes - that _is_ a major hang-up. Thank you so much for your time.   
  
Too bad they couldn't have been magical girls.   
  
Sage would make one killer female. Moody, unpredictable, exquisite. After a particularly frustrating encounter, he makes you want to exclaim "Women!" in your best voice of superior disgust. It takes a minute to realize the contradiction.  
  
Still...what _you_ see as Sage's arrogance is _not_ arrogance. It is what happens whenever an intense personality plays the part of a quiet, mild-mannered teenager through very perfect self-control. Don't get me wrong; the self-control is not a struggle. It's a natural skill.   
  
But...   
  
You can still see it in his eyes. Why do you think he covers one up?  
  
Ryo on the other hand comes off as burning and irrepressible, yet once you get past it, he's - soft. Quiet. Someone who cannot hold a grudge or drum up any real, lasting fury about anything. Ryo will, as soon as you mention it, be willing to look at the other side of any perspective. Or let bygones be bygones.   
  
Well, almost every time - sometimes you do have to work your way through his thick head.  
  
Except - and I have to grin - when it comes to us. No one will be able to turn him against us. I've abused this standing horribly, but only in good fun. I think I really could take horrible advantage of him if I wanted to. I'm past all the burning outside and stuck inside his head. If I push just right he'll fall over, and he might not be able to get back up.   
  
But I don't push and he trusts me.   
  
Looking back, I don't believe this guy was expected to be the fearless, stoic leader of the (most recent) heroes of mankind.   
  
Because he really wasn't. But if you're looking for something for all of us to rally too...you found it. We're used to normal life now sort of, but if somebody tries to push Ryo in the lunchroom...*laughs* all hell breaks loose. We still consider ourselves bodyguards. I know. It's happened before.  
  
He can take care of himself though. Honest. It's just that none of us quite believe it yet.  
  
A lot of people don't believe me when I say Ryo is this unbelievably lovable guy because they peg Cye as the 'sweet one'. To be honest, Cye is a lot of hard edges well concealed.  
  
He's a nice guy, and very quick to do anything he can to make you feel comfortable. He's unfailingly polite. Still, I'm glad we're on his good side (permanently) because, whereas both Kento and Ryo are pretty much ambivalent to people they disagree with, I know there are some people Cye really doesn't like. Really really doesn't like.   
  
Yeah, Cye's opinionated but he doesn't think those opinions are more important than human life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. He'll get upset and fight with you about stuff if you're really determined to push it, but he's not going to spit in your food about it.   
  
Not more than once anyway. But I think I'm a special case.  
  
Oh dearie me, I've gone off on a tangent haven't I? Well, hell, this entire conversation is a tangent, live with it. Did you know that I'm horrible at chess? And my attention span is so unpredictable that I can't be trusted to supervise any project that isn't a matter of life and death?   
  
Oh, and Cye loves salt-encrusted sea bass. Sage doesn't watch soap operas, but he knows all the plots. He says it's because his mother watches them. Sure, Sage. This is me believing you.  
  
...but then, he could be telling the truth. His family _is_ very odd. When Sage was six, his sister told him their aunt was a witch who could hypnotize him with a look. When she visited, he wore his hair half over his face, hoping her evil witchy powers would fail if she couldn't look him in both eyes. His sister loved it, and the Cyclops look was bullied into permanence.  
  
Ryo is mildly allergic to cat hair. Who knew magical tigers were hypoallergenic?   
  
Kento doesn't like ketchup.   
  
And speaking of Kento, I arm wrestled him the other day at lunch (yes, he won. Surprised?) when some asshole called out that I ought to bring a chess set to lunch next time - that is, if Kento could even remember the object of the game.  
  
Of course, before I could kill her with a plastic fork, Kento called right back that it'd better be an edible chess set or it wasn't any good to him.  
  
Kento: Big, friendly, likes full-contact sports...  
  
Ah, yes. Stupid as an ox!  
  
I shoulda whooped her bitchy ass. I hate that.  
  
Kento is really good at being in charge. I mean, like for real life in charge. He wouldn't, I think, be the dashing hero type or the inspirational leader of men, and definitely not the prodigy tactician but he's the most...capable. Of knowing when to get stuff done and when to give up. How not to be a perfectionist and how to compromise. And more than anything how to delegate and organize. He's the oldest kid out of how many? He's had practice.   
  
Kento also likes to brag, but only about things that don't matter. You know, like burping on command. He's happy to let guys play whatever part they want, and cherish their particular illusion. They're just not allowed to hurt anyone else.  
  
This includes us by the way. I'm thinking of a particular happening actually, but I don't feel like getting into it here. It was a bit of a surprise. I think a lot of us still thought of him as 'the big stupid one who provides the comic relief'.   
  
Aheh heh...my bad...  
  
Kento also built the coolest tree house in our backyard. Someone tells you Kento's stupid...jeez, just go look at this thing. Obviously advanced algebra isn't everything.  
  
As for me? I'm an egotistical little shit, but I'm more charming even than Sage, so everybody loves me anyway. What, don't you? 


End file.
